I give up...Here Kitty Kitty... (any advice on Intelligentsia Black Cat?)

[TimEggers]

Ok that's enough. My espresso this morning just isn't coming together as I would like. My distribution seems good as the flow from my bottomless porta seems even and the espresso doesn't glop or swing (thanks to Jasonian for pointing that out to me!) and I have nice rich color. The taste however is just out of balance and harsh.

Oh I'm using home roasted Costa Rica Pulp Natural - La Candelilla from sweetmarias. My reoccurring mistake, using my single origin home roasts. Sure some origins work beautifully for espresso, some do not. *ding ding* A bell went off in my head...let's follow Marshall's advice (http://www.home-barista.com/forum...oasting-t2792.html) and finally get around to ordering some of that Black Cat from Intelligentsia that everyone is always raving about. Something I have wanted to do for a long time!

So I finally did it, I put away my fresh home roasted (drip) coffee and ordered 2 lbs of Black Cat. Now my questions:

Can you give a fellow wanna-be HB any advice with this blend? I have read rave reviews about it so I hope to get at least a passable shot from it. I am using a Gaggia Coffee Deluxe and a Rocky doserless. I religiously employ the WDT (thank God for that, it's the only thing that saves me). Like I say my technique seems ok to me. Then again I'm still a complete noob.

Any tips for the Black Cat with regard to my machines (or just in general) would be most appreciated. Thank you!

P.S.- Sorry for the tacky subject title!

Oh duh, I should have put this in the coffees section...my apologies.

[jesawdy]

I have only tried Black Cat twice, and in each case, I found I needed to tend towards a much coarser grind.

Here's a thread to refer to... Intelly Black Cat - Brew Temp and Dosage Recommendations

EDIT - here's another - Espresso Tasting Notes - this thread may prove helpful in your journey of professionally roasted coffees.

I assume the Black Cat coffee is only en route, and not "in 'da house"?

[TimEggers]

I have only tried Black Cat twice, and in each case, I found I needed to tend towards a much coarser grind.

Here's a thread to refer to... Intelly Black Cat - Brew Temp and Dosage Recommendations

EDIT - here's another - Espresso Tasting Notes - this thread may prove helpful in your journey of professionally roasted coffees.

I assume the Black Cat coffee is only en route, and not "in 'da house"?

Thank you Jeff! Yes the coffee is enroute and has not arrived yet. You know I'm ashamed to admit that it's my first commercial coffee order. Sure hope it's a good one...


(should be)

[jesawdy]

Tim-

I'm making my way through site sponsor blends as much as I can..... my typical daily is a blend from a local roaster - it is so good, so fresh and so CHEAP, that it was hard to bring myself to go elsewhere. But the HB Holiday Marketplace, nudged me along to try some others (besides the CCC stuff I had over last summer). Variety is the spice of life and all that, ya know.

At any rate, I haven't had anything that I didn't like yet... but it also drove home to me that my local roaster is on par with the big boys, which is nice to know. I've tried all of the Counter Culture espresso blends; Intelligenstia's Black Cat, PR's Espresso Classico; CF Ambrosia, Red Sea and Flossie; Olympia Big Truck; and Rocket's Darkstar. I have a few more in the deep freeze to get to yet.

I have not done any homeroasting yet... maybe after another 12 months or more... BUT, my guess would be that your SO approach (if that is what you have limited yourself to), may be the biggest part of your frustration. I would certainly think that trying some other blends will give you some great ideas in what to try in your homeroasting efforts. (Paradise has an HB discount right now, )

At some point I intend to revisit most of the blends I've tried to see how my improving skills help me out with them.

[borny]

I'm a noob to, but I have meet with the training department of Intelligentsia. The recommend a 26 sec pull for a double shot espresso. What I would suggest is to get a timer and work with you grind/dose/tamp technique used to dial in your espresso machine. Make sure you only change one variable at a time... Just a suggestion from a noob!


I'm also experimenting with single origin espressos. The Yemen Saani was decent for me, but I get way too much tobacco flavor. But I have a Sumatra Classic Mandheling SOE that I've enjoyed, but I have also blended a Keny AA Auction Lot 764-Ndaroini Nyeri with the Sumatra with absolutely excellent results! Very sweet, brown sugary... (50/50 Sumatra roasted to Full City+ and Kenya AA roasted to City+)


good luck!

[Dogshot]

Tim, your extraction in the video does look good. The only advice I can offer as a former Gaggia Classic user is to pull a smaller shot. IT is tough to tell what the final volume of your shot was, but it looks pretty long, and I found it very difficult to get great results from anything over 1.25-1.5oz on my Classic. So, have you tried tightening your grind and aiming for that volume?

Black Cat should not have any bitterness to it, so if your shot does, try flushing 2oz immediately before pulling the shot. If there is still bitterness, flush more until there is none. If the shot becomes sour, flush a bit less.

Have fun,

Mark

[TimEggers]

BUT, my guess would be that your SO approach (if that is what you have limited yourself to), may be the biggest part of your frustration.

Hi Jeff! Yeah I couldn't agree more. My biggest problem has been I let my espresso machine sit until I get the urge to use it but at the time I only have what I had roasted for my drip/press pot. So I grab that and go. I have tried some home roasted green bean blends that were ok (a few shots really good), but even there I found frustration, I blame my roast there (as well as my underdeveloped technique).

The good thing now is that I am beginning to develop a technique that seems to physically work for me. The shots look nice and pull well. My distribution, tamp and grind seem to be good (I'm not a pro). But the video is a good sign of what the worst I can pull is most every time. Now I need to get a good commercial blend so that I can accomplish the flavors that I am after.

I think the Black Cat will work out very nicely.

Tim, your extraction in the video does look good. The only advice I can offer as a former Gaggia Classic user is to pull a smaller shot. IT is tough to tell what the final volume of your shot was, but it looks pretty long, and I found it very difficult to get great results from anything over 1.25-1.5oz on my Classic. So, have you tried tightening your grind and aiming for that volume?

Black Cat should not have any bitterness to it, so if your shot does, try flushing 2oz immediately before pulling the shot. If there is still bitterness, flush more until there is none. If the shot becomes sour, flush a bit less.

Have fun,

Mark

Hi Mark,

It's funny you mention this as I stumbled upon this today! I decided to watch the color of the shot (rather than just my timer) and stopped the shot at the first sign of blonding (or what I thought was pretty good indication of blonding). I ended up with a 1.25oz shot (give or take a little) and the harshness was greatly reduced. The shot was still unbalanced and had an unpleasant sharpness, but it was a great improvement. I did tighten my grind and have discovered the beauty of a slightly shorter shot.


It's funny with each shot I pull I feel like I learn something. Today I learned that color is as important as time (something I have read over and over, but didn't put into my own practice). I did and it paid off. I had several excellent americanos made with 1.25-1.5oz shots.

Like I said above I think the Black Cat will give me a great chance to improve the flavor of my espresso. I seem to have a decent working knowledge (so to speak) of the physical act to get a desirable shot, now it's time to see how that holds up with the right beans!

Here is my 2oz shot:

[John P]

Tim,

your distribution seems to be spot on. Beautiful looking pour. If you are certain your dosing is correct, then I would try tightening up your grind just a bit. For me, I would have stopped the shot at about the 22 second mark on the video. After that point, it looks like what is added to the glass would not benefit the flavor. But since I haven't tasted it, I could be wrong.

[HB]

For me, I would have stopped the shot at about the 22 second mark on the video. After that point, it looks like what is added to the glass would not benefit the flavor. But since I haven't tasted it, I could be wrong.

The color is your best guide, and a secondary indicator is a "pucker" in the flow. It's right around the 22 second mark you noted.

[TimEggers]

The color is your best guide, and a secondary indicator is a "pucker" in the flow. It's right around the 22 second mark you noted.

Dan that is an excellent observation and something I did not notice. Thanks for pointing it out, I see exactly what you mean. It's funny but with each shot I feel as if I learn a little more. I am seeing progress in my shots now as I have been focusing on color and visual cues rather than volumes and timers.

There is no substitute for putting in the time behind the portafilter! Here's to practice and great espresso with friends!